Preparations and Mistaken Identities
by Laura Ann Yates
Summary: My ArMor twist on the scene in series 1 episode 1 where Merlin walks in on Morgana getting ready for the banquet. Chapter 1: From Morgana's point of view. Chapter 2: From Arthur's Point of view.
1. Morgana

**Ok, so this is my first Merlin fan fiction. I have written for Silent Witness before so I'm not completely new. This is for my English Language A Level but since it is heavily based on a particular scene in Series 1 Episode 1 (The Dragon's Call) of Merlin (not that my tutor has realised), I thought I would upload it here.**

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><p>Stepping behind the changing screen, Morgana smiled as she thought about the reaction she was likely to gain from her planned outfit. Tonight a banquet was to be held in order to celebrate 20 years since the great purge ended. Why the death of so many innocent men, women and children was cause for celebration was beyond her and always would be. Why Uther despised magic so much, she would never know. Couldn't he see that it was a force for good as well as evil? <em>Hopefully Arthur will change that when he becomes king<em>, she mused, hanging her dress over the screen for Gwen, her maid servant, to put away. "Pass me that dress will you, Gwen?" Morgana asked as she heard the door creak open and footsteps enter the room.

"Mm Hm." A voice mumbled, as the required dress was draped over the screen next to her other dress.

"Can you believe Arthur? There is only 2 hours left to this stupid banquet and he still hasn't asked me to go. Looks like I'm going on my own. I'm not too bothered though, the man is a total jouster, don't you agree?"

"Mm Hm" Morgana heard again.

"Where are you?" She popped her head up over the screen. This was unusual behaviour for Gwen. Usually she could shut up, mainly talking about Merlin, but today she was only saying the bare minimum. _Maybe I should be worried? Something could be wrong with her; with her father. I should really ask her if there's anything wrong, shouldn't I?_

"Here" Came a rather high-pitched and masculine squeak from behind her blue cloak.

_What is she doing? Hiding like that. Maybe she wasn't hiding, maybe she was just looking over it, seeing if it needed washing? Maybe it wasn't even Gwen in the room with her. If it wasn't Gwen, then who was it? Arthur? No, he would have made some inappropriate comment about her state of dress behind the screen by now. One of the knights? No, they wouldn't dare, they'd have both Arthur and Uther to deal with then. But if it isn't Arthur or one of the knights, then who is it?_

"I need you to help zip me up?" Morgana asked, hoping to reveal the identity of her unknown visitor.

"Mmhm" they said for a third time. _Was that all they knew? 'Mmhm' and 'here'?_

At that moment, another set of footsteps could be heard, lighter than before, crossing the room, heading in the direction of her and the changing screen.

"Gwen?" Morgana questioned when she saw her maid appear at her side.

"You look surprised to see me, my lady? When I have been here all along." Gwen questioned in return, trying her best to look and sound truthful.

"Gwen, I've known you since we were eight; I know when you're lying." Morgana raised her eyebrows, Gwen never lied, she had always been truthful and honest. "Who is out there, really? And don't lie Gwen, you're awful at it for a start."

"You really need to be more careful about who you let in your room, Morgana." Said a voice she recognised, she had grown up with it after all.

"Oh shut up Arthur. I should have guessed it was you. Everyone else would have declared themselves." Morgana scoffed, walking from behind the screen after Gwen has zipped up the back of her dress to complete her outfit, her hair having been done earlier in the day.

"Leave us Gwen." Arthur commanded. He was the crowned prince of Camelot after all; he had the right to command people. "Go get ready for the banquet yourself."

"Thank you sire. My lady." Gwen curtseyed slightly before scurrying out of the room and home to change into a dress more suitable for serving royalty at a banquet.


	2. Arthur

A thirteen year old Arthur Pendragon mumbled incoherent nonsense to himself as he walked down the corridor towards his father's ward's room. Her name was Morgana and she was the most annoying twelve year old girl he had ever had the displeasure of meeting. He was nine when they met, her eight. Her father, Gorlois had been killed in battle just a week prior to their meeting and his father, Uther had promised Gorlois that if anything should happen to him, he was to take in Morgana and raise her himself, and that is exactly what had happened. Uther had kept his promise and four years later he was being forced to accompany the lady in question to the latest banquet.

Arthur knocked quietly on the door before entering the room. His father had taught him that before he was to enter someone's room, he was to knock first, to announce that someone was there. When he entered the room, he saw no sight of Morgana but heard the rustling of material before a dress was slung carelessly over the changing screen in the corner of the room.

"Pass me that dress will you, Gwen?" Morgana asked him. _Gwen? Who is Gwen? Unless it's that other girl I see following Morgana around? _

"Mmhm." He replied in the most feminine voice he could, before picking up the only dress he could see and draped it over the changing screen next to the dress she had taken off moments before. The dress he had handed to her made a regular appearance at similar occasions such as this one and was of a purple colour. It would brush the floor as she walked and was sleeveless with delicate golden detail on the front. With it was a turquoise, almost pale blue sheer wrap. The wrap was long sleeved with two delicately detailed bands around the sleeves, positioned just above the elbows. The sleeves bellow this band hung down, twice the length of her forearm with a golden, fitted, lace sleeve under the blue. Around the waist of the wrap was a golden belt of flowers, with one larger one at the very front, keeping the wrap attached to her body.

"Can you believe Arthur?" The boy in question hadn't intended on listen to any of her ramblings but became interested as soon as his name was mentioned. "There is only 2 hours left to this stupid banquet and he still hasn't asked me to go. Looks like I'm going on my own. I'm not too bothered though, the man is a total jouster, don't you agree?" Me? _A Jouster? And since when did she want to go to this banquet with me? I thought she hated me?_

"Mmhm" He found himself saying, he had decided that since she was changing, in order to avoid another argument, he would pretend he was her maid and get out of there as soon as possible, which meant that he had to agree with her every word and try saying as little as possible.

"Where are you?" Morgana asked. _Great, a question that requires more than a mumble_. Picking up her royal blue cloak that was slung over the back of the chair he was standing next to, Arthur held it up in front of his face, just in time to hide it from her view as she popped her head over the top of the screen and shot a questioning glance in his direction before disappearing again.

"I need you to help zip me up?" _Busted_, he thought as he mumbled his third "Mmhm."

He heard the creak of the door and footsteps come round the corner into view. _Gwen, I'm safe_.

"What are you doing here, sire?" Gwen asked in whisper.

"My father made me come ask Morgana if I could escort her to the banquet but she was starting to get changed when I entered the room. She thought I was you so I hid. Go zip her dress up and say nothing about my presence." He whispered in return, Gwen only just hearing his utterances.

"No problem, sire." Arthur watched the young maid scuttle off to help Morgana.

"Gwen?"

"You look surprised to see me, my lady? When I have been here all along."

"Gwen, I've known you since we were eight; I know when you're lying. Who is out there, really? And don't lie Gwen, you're awful at it for a start."

_And this is where I cut in,_ he thought before speaking up to the room. "You really need to be more careful about who you let in your room, Morgana."

"Oh shut up Arthur. I should have guessed it was you. Everyone else would have declared themselves." Morgana scoffed, walking from behind the screen after Gwen had zipped up the back of her dress to complete her outfit, her hair having been done earlier in the day.

"Leave us Gwen." Arthur commanded. He was the crowned prince of Camelot after all; he had the right to command people. "Go get ready for the banquet yourself."

"Thank you sire. My lady." Gwen curtseyed slightly before scurrying out of the room and home to do whatever it was that girls did to prepare themselves for a banquet.


End file.
